


Of Mistletoe and Love-struck Woes

by restlessandordinary



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, First Kiss, Getting Together, Gryffindor Keith (Voltron), Hufflepuff Shiro (Voltron), M/M, Pining Keith (Voltron), Romance, magic mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-12 01:19:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17457857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/restlessandordinary/pseuds/restlessandordinary
Summary: Keith's learned to live with his feelings for Shiro, however complicated they may be. He pushes them down deep so he can be the friend Shiro deserves. But those feelings become much harder to hide when enchanted mistletoe begin to pop up all over the castle; or at least where ever Keith seems to be. And why must it always be Shiro he's stuck with? Turns out, third time's a charm.





	Of Mistletoe and Love-struck Woes

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic for the Sheith Secret Santa Exchange for my wonderful recipient @marymsjay!
> 
> Thank you for being so sweet and understanding when this was later than expected, I really hope you like what I was able to do with a sheith Harry Potter AU. Thanks to Violet for the quick beta, you're the best <3
> 
> Also Shiro and Keith are like a year apart because I said so lol

Keith is used to staying at Hogwarts during winter hols. He’s used to spending time on his own, and even if it gets a little lonely at times in the drafty, deserted castle, anything is better than going back to the orphanage where he spends his summers.

This year is different though, because Shiro is staying over the holiday as well, saying something about important Head Boy duties and homework that Keith doesn’t quite believe. He keeps quiet because the last thing he wants is Shiro’s pity, doesn’t think he’ll be able to stand that look on Shiro’s face, the one all the adults in his life get when they hear about his parents. If Shiro stays to keep him company and wants to keep quiet about his reasons, then Keith won’t bring it up either. He’ll appreciate what he has and not question it.

Keith is walking back to the Gryffindor common room after dinner on the second day of winter break when he walks into a wall. Except he didn’t, because there’s no wall in front of him, just empty air. 

“What the—?” Keith reaches his hands out in front of him. There must be something there, maybe a new castle trick he will need to learn to avoid on his daily commute to classes. His hands hit against some sort of invisible barrier, stretching as far as he can reach on either side. Keith huffs in annoyance and turns around to go back the way he came, only to encounter the same invisible wall behind him. Several disbelieving turns in place confirm what he feared; he’s trapped in by a random wall he can’t even see. At night. With no one around. He throws his head back against the wall with a frustrated sound and that’s when he sees it.

A bundle of green leaves and red berries, hung from the ceiling right above him, tied with a bright red ribbon. There’s mistletoe hung in nearly every doorway as decoration, so it isn’t unusual to see them around the castle. But it certainly is unusual to be trapped by one. _Just my luck to find the one cursed mistletoe in the entire castle_ , Keith thinks. Some student desperate for a snog must have enchanted this one before leaving for the holidays, meaning it will be nearly impossible to determine which spell will end the charm and release him from his invisible prison.

Keith tries a half-hearted _Finite Incantatem_ , disappointed but unsurprised when it has no effect. He’s resigned to laying his robes out on the cold stone floor and trying to get some sleep when he hears footsteps down the hall. Keith’s head snaps up to see a familiar figure turn the corner and walk towards him. He would recognize that wide frame and shock of white hair anywhere Shiro.

Takashi Shirogane was the one constant in Keith’s life during a time when everything else was changing more than he could have ever imagined. Keith got his magic from his mother, who had disappeared when he was a baby. He’d spent a very happy early childhood with his Muggle father until he passed away unexpectedly and Keith was sent to the orphanage and a never ending cycle of foster homes. As such, Keith didn’t have the magical upbringing that Shiro did with his family, but Shiro had never looked down on Keith for that fact. Keith had met Shiro his very first day at Hogwarts, overwhelmed by this magical new world and on the defensive – the way he’d trained himself to be by that point in his life.

Even then, as only a second year, Shiro seemed so confident and intelligent, bright and smart and kind, that Keith couldn’t help but find himself looking up to him and gravitating towards him. 

Shiro took Keith under his wing, much to Keith’s surprise and disbelief, and did all he could to befriend and support Keith even though they were placed in different Houses; Shiro was in Hufflepuff, and Keith had been placed in Gryffindor the moment the Sorting Hat had touched his head. 

Over the years, Keith had come to rely on Shiro’s friendship and loyalty in a way he could rely on nothing else in his life. So when his friendly feelings towards Shiro began to evolve into something more, he kept them to himself because there was no way he could risk losing Shiro over some silly crush that he was certain he would get over any day now. 

Keith was wrong, his feelings for Shiro had only grown deeper and more intense the more time they spent together – the more Shiro showed through his words and his actions that he was honorable and trustworthy and earnestly kind, and everything Keith could ever wish for in a partner. And it didn’t hurt that Shiro was devastatingly handsome on top of all that.

All of this is what’s racing through Keith’s head as Shiro walks towards him, an affable, lopsided smile on his face. “Keith? What are you doing standing here by yourself? Are you okay?” 

Keith realizes a moment too late that as Shiro walks towards him, he is also walking towards the magical mistletoe of unknown origin currently holding Keith captive.

“Shiro, no, wait!” Keith throws his hands up, his chest tightening as panic sets in, but his warning is too late. Shiro, a shocked look on his face, attempts to take a step back only to stumble against the invisible wall now enclosing them both.

“There’s some sort of enchanted mistletoe that won’t let me walk away”, Keith explains miserably as he points to the plant hanging above them. “And now you’re stuck here too.”

“It must be some prank. I’m sure I can get us out of here, don’t worry.” Shiro’s nothing if not positive and confident in the face of any problem that comes his way. He tries his own _Finite Incantatem_ and then a few more spells that Keith doesn’t recognize in quick succession, all to no avail. Shiro looks at him as he rubs the back of his neck, shoulders hunched; clear signs that Shiro's uncomfortable and trying to cover it up.

“Um…looks like there's only one way to get out of here.” Shiro gives Keith what must be his best effort at a reassuring smile, but it does nothing to calm Keith’s suddenly racing heart. He can’t imagine how Shiro must be feeling, trapped here with him of all people. This is not how Keith wanted this to happen, wasn’t how it played out in the daydreams he would never confess that he had on a regular basis. Of all the ways he had imagined kissing Shiro, being coerced to do so by some cursed bloody plant was not one of them. 

Keith realizes that his fists are clenched, his fingernails digging into his palms, and he tries his best to relax before Shiro notices how nervous he is. _It’s a quick kiss, just to end the spell so we can get out of here_ , Keith tells himself. One quick kiss and they can move on with their lives like nothing happened. They’re friends, just friends, and one little kiss isn’t going to change that.

Somewhere in middle of the emotional maelstrom taking over Keith’s body, he registers that Shiro is asking him a question. The sound of his voice is drowned out by the buzzing in Keith’s ears, and all he can do is nod in reply to whatever it was Shiro is asking. He trusts Shiro more than anyone else and he knows Shiro would never do anything to intentionally hurt him. Keith’s heart pounds in his chest in disagreement as Shiro takes a step closer, then another, placing him only few inches in front of Keith. His heart stutters to a stop, deafeningly silent, as warm fingers graze along his jaw and tilt his chin up. Keith doesn’t want to miss a single second of this, but his eyes close despite himself. With his eyes closed, his other senses are heightened, and he’s able to focus more intensely on Shiro’s warm breath ghosting over his lips and the gentle, calloused fingers against his skin. And finally, finally, the feeling of Shiro’s lips pressed against his own, soft and sweet. 

It’s over as quick as it begins, and Keith’s eyes open slowly in the wake of the emotions washing over him. There’s panic, somewhere deep down, which will no doubt rear its ugly head later, but for now it’s buried and Keith feels calm, almost sedated, as if he’s floating on his back in a sun-warmed pool. Shiro takes a hasty step back, letting out an awkward laugh that brings a bubble of that panic rushing to the surface. He needs to get in control of these feelings, he never lets himself feel this out of control. 

“Hope that worked,” Shiro says with a tense half smile, reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck. Of course he does, why would he want to do that more than once? It was a perfunctory kiss to get out from under the mistletoe and that’s all, Keith knows that. Keith staggers away before Shiro can say anything else to dash his reckless hopes, outside the boundary where the enchanted wall was only moments before.

“Yep, looks like it worked, good night.” Keith turns on his heel and flees, his face burning, his heart aching, and his lips tingling.

Keith has a hard time getting to sleep that night, tossing and turning, unable to stop feeling the warmth of Shiro’s lips pressed against his own. He rolls onto his stomach and pushes his face into the pillow in frustration. It happened once, it was never going to happen again, and he needed to get over it.

Easier said than done.

Keith finally falls asleep in the early hours of the morning, and his dreams are dark,plagued with cruel sneers and hands pushing at him from the shadows all around him. He jolts awake in the morning with a ragged gasp, his sweaty bangs plastered to his forehead. He throws an arm over his eyes as he waits for his breathing to calm down and the lingering echoes of his haunted dreams to fade away, before rolling out of bed to get ready for the breakfast he is no doubt already late for.

All Keith’s hopes of his life going back to normal after the previous day are shattered when he turns a corner on the way down to the Great Hall to find Shiro sitting on the floor in the deserted hallway, knees up with his back against the wall. Shiro looks up when he hears footsteps approaching. 

“Keith!” Shiro is scrambling up before Keith can turn around and run the other way; he feels as trapped by Shiro’s smile as Shiro is by the mistletoe floating over his head. “Thank Merlin, I need your help. These bloody enchanted mistletoe are everywhere.”

Keith wishes that he had just skipped breakfast today. It hurts more than it really should that anyone walking by could do the job, that it’s just his bad luck that he’s the first one to stumble upon Shiro like this and there’s no way for him to escape.

“Shouldn’t we tell Professor Coran or something? Maybe he can get rid of them all,” Keith stalls, shiting nervously from foot to foot. 

“Well, I’ve got to get out of here first, so help a guy out?” Shiro asks with a lopsided little smile that steals Keith’s breath away. He’s kidding himself if he ever thought he could say no to anything Shiro asked of him. He never stood a chance. Best to get it done with as fast as possible and try to forget about it. Which didn’t work out great last time he tried, but practice makes perfect, right?

Keith steps forward determinedly, right up in front of Shiro, and grips his hand near the top of Shiro’s yellow and black striped school tie. He pulls Shiro’s face down to his level and practically slams their lips together. Keith may not be able to control anything else in his life right now, but he can take control of this one kiss. 

Keith pulls away after a moment, not wanting to seem overeager for the kiss to last longer. He feels his cheeks heat at his own daring, and he’s surprised to see a pink flush mirrored on Shiro’s face as well. Keith releases Shiro’s tie in a rush, running his hands over his own robes as if to fix them, even though Shiro’s shirt and tie are the ones in desperate need of straightening.

“Off to breakfast then!” Keith nearly shouts in his mortification, cringing as his voice echoes off the cold stone walls. He walks quickly past Shiro without another word, barely resisting the urge to start sprinting down the corridor.

“Th-thanks!” Shiro calls faintly after him.

Keith manages to avoid Shiro for the rest of the day, hiding in the dusty back corner of the library, diving under the table at lunch when Shiro walks into the Great Hall, and even spending half an hour trapped in a broom closet when it locks the door on him in retaliation after he accidentally knocks over a shelf of cleaning products. He’s almost back to Gryffindor tower, desperate for his soft, warm bed after an exhausting day, when he looks up to see the one person he had been trying to avoid all day long.

Shiro. Standing beneath a green sprig of mistletoe.

Keith throws his hands up in the air before Shiro can say a word. “Oh no, no way, not again. I can’t do this!” He squeezes his eyes shut, shaking his head forcefully from side to side, his hands coming down in fists by his sides. It’s too much, everything he’s been feeling the last couple days—no, for the last few years if he’s honest, all of which has rushed to the surface.

Shiro approaches slowly, his face etched with worry. 

“Keith? Keith, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were so upset about...this. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, it’s fine.” Shiro’s voice wavers, low and calm, like Keith is a frightened animal he’s trying not to scare away. And it’s all wrong. The last thing Keith wants is for Shiro to be upset – he doesn’t want to be the reason Shiro frowns.

“No, it’s not that,” Keith forces out. This is all wrong, it’s not the way any of this is supposed to go. But he can’t let Shiro think he doesn’t care about him, that Shiro isn’t the most important person in his life. He has to say something now, before he hurts Shiro too much to repair. “I don’t want to do it _like this_!” 

His last two words ring out in the space around them, leaving behind a moment of stunned silence.

“...but you do want to?” Shiro steps forward, his eyes intent on Keith’s face. “You want to kiss me?” Keith refuses to believe that Shiro’s voice sounds hopeful.

“Not if it’s something you don’t want, not if it’s something you’re forced to do because of some stupid plant. Not if it doesn't mean anything to you.” Keith stares at the ground, unsure if the words even made it out of his mouth, surprised that he can even form complete sentences right now, as mortified as he is by his confession. 

“Is that what you think?” Shiro asks softly. Shiro raises his hands to rest on either side of Keith’s neck, bringing his head up to look in his eyes. “I’m so sorry I let you feel that way, that I couldn’t just say how I felt. I like you, Keith, and kissing you doesn’t mean nothing to me. It means everything to me.” He rubs his thumb across Keith’s cheek tenderly and Keith can’t help but lean into his hand.

“Can I kiss you? Because I want to?” Shiro rests his forehead against Keith’s, so close Keith starts to feel dizzy. He’s barely aware of his small nod of approval before Shiro’s lips are pressed against his, firm and certain in a way they hadn’t been the day before, but just as gentle. Like Keith is a precious thing to him.

They pull apart when Keith remembers that he needs air to survive, but they stay wrapped close as they both catch their breath. A smile plays at the corner of Keith’s lips as he thinks how those cursed mistletoe may be the best thing that’s ever happened to him, when he realizes something. He looks over Shiro’s shoulder to see the mistletoe still floating near the ceiling, with Shiro himself well outside of its magical boundaries.

“Shiro, how did you get out from under the mistletoe?”

“Hm? Oh, that. I have a bit of a confession to make about that.” Shiro’s cheeks turn bright red before Keith’s eyes – he doesn’t think he’s ever seen Shiro this embarrassed before. “I knew the countercurse...because I was the one who enchanted the mistletoe.”

Keith’s mouth drops open in surprise. “You _what_?” he demands.

“I wasn’t sure how you felt about me and well, I thought maybe you felt the same, but I wanted to find out for sure so I figured the mistletoe could help me out. They wouldn’t have worked if you really hadn’t wanted to kiss me! There was a consent charm woven into the spell.” Shiro looks up at Keith through his lashes. “Can you ever forgive me?”

Keith gives Shiro his best stern look, failing utterly. “Maybe. But it’ll cost you a kiss.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I would absolutely love your comments and feel free come say hi on tumblr @restless-red-lion


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